Maritime experts have raised fresh concerns over the unchecked spread of unregistered and poorly-constructed barges on Nigerian waterways, warning that the trend poses grave risks to maritime safety, port operations and the reputation of the country’s shipping industry.
A master mariner, Captain Henry Gumwalk, decried the growing number of barges operating without proper registration or classification, claiming that many were never subjected to the required safety checks before being deployed.
He disclosed that some owners simply contract welders to fabricate vessels and launch them into service, even when they lack the most basic safety documents.
“How many of these barges are registered? They should be registered with at least NIMASA. People just go anywhere, get welders, construct a barge and put it in the water. As long as it is floating, they are good to go,” Gumwalk lamented.
He explained that most of the barges lack proper classification by recognised societies, while essential documents such as stability booklets, needed to guarantee vessel balance and seaworthiness, are missing.
According to him, every craft operating on water is expected to hold a valid class certificate before being put to work.
He warned that failure to enforce this standard not only heightens the risk of accidents but also tarnishes Nigeria’s image in global shipping circles.
Gumwalk further faulted charterers who hire such barges without conducting due diligence, stressing that the practice could lead to avoidable tragedies.
A chartered ship broker, Dr Chris Ebare, also criticised the persistent regulatory lapses that, he argued, were at the root of recurring unsafe incidents.
He maintained that assigning regulatory responsibilities in the maritime sector must be guided by competence and capacity rather than sentiments.
According to him, the absence of clarity on which agency, between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) or the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), should oversee barges and other small crafts has created a gap in enforcement.
Ebare explained that the agency already has a Registration and Monitoring Unit with the facilities and software to track and enforce compliance.
He argued that the latest incidents involving barges should never have occurred if the agency had been effective in its role.
Sharing a similar view, Marine Engineer and Surveyor, Matthew Alalade, highlighted what he described as persistent regulatory evasion by barge operators, insisting that many vessels currently in operation show little or no evidence of registration.
He warned that the absence of strict enforcement was creating an environment where “anything goes,” with unsafe practices flourishing unchecked.
Alalade stressed that NIMASA remains the primary agency responsible for enforcing compliance but must step up its oversight to prevent further risks.
He added that all barges must meet classification requirements set by recognised societies, while NIMASA should also ensure that classification bodies themselves are held accountable.
Beyond the safety concerns, stakeholders also drew attention to the economic pressures mounting on operators.
The President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), Bunmi Olumekun, noted that the lack of berthing space at seaport terminals and non-patronage has further worsened the plight of indigenous operators.
He disclosed that several operators were either putting up their barges for sale or moving their businesses to other regions of the country with better opportunities.
Olumekun said the dwindling fortunes of operators, compounded by the influx of substandard vessels, are threatening the survival of a subsector once hailed as a vital solution to road congestion around Apapa and Tin Can ports.
